DEA Drug Raid at TCU Results in the Arrest of 17 Students, Including Four Football Players [UPDATE: Tanner Brock is a Huge Loss]

Surprising news out of Fort Worth Texas this morning – a DEA drug raid on campus has netted 17 arrests, including four football players. Details are still trickling out, but early reports are that it was a 6-month investigation into selling drugs. Coach Gary Patterson can’t be thrilled with this development, especially after giving these quotes to Sports Illustrated last year about cleaning up the program:

At first glance, it seems like an error or a statistical anomaly: TCU, the Rose Bowl champion and a top five team in each of the past two seasons, did not have a single player among the 204 in the SI/CBS News investigation who were found to have been in trouble with the law. Not one arrest for drunken driving or assault. Not even a citation for public intoxication or disturbing the peace.

“We are not perfect,” says TCU coach Gary Patterson. “In the past we have had kids who’ve made mistakes. But we have tried to recruit the type of high-character kid who gets here and buys into what we are doing and doesn’t want to do anything to embarrass himself or the school.”

Doing background searches on recruits is one reason why TCU has been able to keep its current football players out of trouble. “I always say that I only have to find 20 to 25 [recruits] each year who want to do it the right way,” Patterson says. “Sure, there have been times I’ve bypassed a very talented player because we learned about something he did, but there are always other kids out there. They may need more time to develop, but we know they will buy into what we are doing.”

[UPDATE II: If you’re curious about what drugs they were allegedly dealing, Fox DFW has details: The drugs involved included marijuana, cocaine, “molly” — a powdered form of ecstacy, ecstacy pills, and prescription drugs like Xanax, Hydrocodone and Oxycontin, McGee said.]